
Glass 



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Copyright )j°_ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



XTbe Seal of IDellas 

(A CLASSICAL DRAMA) 



BY 
TEMPLE OLIVER 



^^ 



Author of "A Forest Idyl," "Day Lilies," 

*'The Mayor of Kanemeta," "Donald 

Moncrieff, ' ' * 'The Christ, ' ' etc. 




BOSTON 

SHERMAN, FRENCH ^ COMPANY 

1915 



'?5»'^'°5 



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Copyright, 1915 
Sherman, French & Company 



4/^ 

m 17 1915 

©CU398841 



TO 
H AND /ID 

IN RECOGNITION 
OF HAPPY HOURS SPENT WITH THEM 
IN THE FIELDS OF CLASSIC ROMANCE 



BOOK THE FIRST 



ARIADNE AND KING MINOS 

Ariadne pleads with Kmg Minos, 

Aeiadne 
My father and my king, thy youngest born 
Would stand, a suppliant, before thy throne 
To plead a wrong's surcease, — wrong not mine 

own, 
Yet by its pall all joy of life is shorn. 
Why this dark seal with royal honors worn 
Upon thy breast? A vow? Could aught atone 
For tribute paid by blood? No farthest zone 
Of Jove's domain but such rash vow would 

scorn ! 
But Hope, the prophet, beckons from afar. 
Brave Theseus shall scale both rock and scaur 
Of those dark walls which Daedalus had planned, 
Set free this curse from Crete, our own fair land. 
His strong right arm shall slay the Minotaur, 
And thine the glory ; Minos cannot err. 

Sevenfold demand to mark our prince's death? 

Slain by Athenian king? O needless vow! 

Cast off that seal of blood ; 'tis paid enow. 

Would seven times seven restore his life and 

breath ? 

This strange, dark symbol yield to my jealous 

stealth, 

1 



Cfie @)eal of fellas 



And all its lurking menace disavow. 

To thy command the world of Crete shall bow, — 

For joy would fain be held pain's aftermath. 

Thy hand shall set the weeping captives free, 

And give them from to-day full liberty ; 

This ring of gold and gems shall be my pledge, 

Also my guerdon and my privilege ; 

Long ere I speed to fair Athena's zone, 

The years of wrong thy justice shall atone. 

I know full well thy tenderness and ruth 
That this brave youth may never more return 
From such a tortuous labyrinthine bourne. 
So all is yet conditional ? The truth 
We still must strive for? True, thy heart doth 

yearn 
For one long dead. But e'en our prince would 

spurn 
Such slow concession. Give the word, and sooth 
Both gods and men your gratitude would earn. 
But hark, my liege, and I will tell a tale 
Of secret, wise design ; it will not fail, 
But safe and wise and sure as destiny, 
'Twill work its spell to bring my love to me 
Before the morning sun has tinged the lea ; 
See, here the sign, — thy blood-red gem grows 

pale. 

We know that there are deadly foes to face 



Cfie Seal of ^ella0 3 

In that dark cave, — fierce foes that threaten 

life 
Of babes, of tender things, and ever hail the 

strife 
Of life with death if life shall win the race. 
And, father, though my warrior prince should 

place 
His chance of youth with joy of living rife. 
And all his veins should throb with murderous 

pace 
And he left stranded in that ghoulish space, 
Thou knowest well that 'tis a childhood's tale 
That must be met, — a popular demand, — 
That some great warrior of the alien land 
Must risk his life to make the pledge seem true ; 
The real reprieve must rest alone with you ! 
For should he die the death, with weapon hurled. 
How much could this rash act have helped the 

world ? 

Oh, how implacable is royalty ! 

If good can ever minimize the ill, — 

And good, we know, an age's wrong can kill, — 

Its virtue lies in spontaneity. 

My brother from his realm calls out to me. 

And prays for right and justice. Cease from 

ill, 
O sire beloved, the annals of thy reign to fill 
With deeds that hold for all eternity. 



4 Cfte %tal of J^ellag 

Oh, say not nay, my king. Thy sovereign will 
Might free these souls and send away in glee 
To their own kingdom, far from Cretan hill, 
In all the glorious pulchritude of youth. 
Doth all depend on that Athenian boy? 
Then he shall slay the monster, and, forsooth. 
The dark ship seen no more in deed and truth, 
While free as air all shout their rapturous joy. 

In younger days famed was thy rectitude ; 
When meeting far-famed Nisus in the war. 
Short shrift had famous Scylla, when the scar 
Of his shorn locks showed action wrong and 

rude, 
Resultant in his death. 'Twas understood 
That even this nor checked her speech and tone 
Of loud complaint ; by all the people known. 
Her love for wise King Minos, him alone, — 
" Our Minos, King of Crete, the great and 

good!" 
But never quite resolved, our wonder grew 
Of why thy deep reserve in kingly mood. 
But long ere this we learned it was the right 
Alone should triumph, and that wrong should 

cease. 
And hence no speech with her who failed to see 
The difference in the medium. Ah me ! 
That now I still must plead for right, and sue 
For those seven lives ; yet thou, O king, art true ! 



Cf)e Seal of ^ella0 



Ariadne's doubt is changed to joy. 

father, is it done? This royal ring 

Now placed within my hand! What doth it 

bode 
But with swift footsteps I must seek the road 
To caves of Daedalus on nightbird's wing 
Now to the four winds we may doub tings fling? 
This gives our nation now the right to sing 
The grand Te Deum of a heavenly code 
In Hellas where the gods have their abode. 
My noble father has resolved the vow 
To one of right, — to set the captives free ; 
And that black barque, through deed of roy- 
alty. 
Shall sail away in rapture soon, I know. 
Though by that dreadful deed of cruel war 
The king's own son must slay the Minotaur ! 

King Minos 
Now heaven be praised, my daughter. I may 

yield to thee, 
For thou, so persevering in thy plea. 
Hast made me debtor. Now and evermore, — 
While nations urge their wars on every shore, — 
Thy voice, like music, grave, intense and low, 

1 hear, — no other in its overflow. 

A courier hastening from Athenian king 
Sought audience hastily, as on the wing, 



6 Ci)e ^eal of fellas 

In state and pomp up through our own fair 

bay, 
Before the day's advance is on the way 
To some high feast portentous, where the hour 
Seemed all important in his lordly power ; 

He brought a letter that was signed and sealed 
By ^geus himself, in state revealed. 
Which seal I would not break until my word 
Had passed with thee, my daughter, nor de- 
ferred 
Thy wondrous plea, lest haply I should fail 
To see with thine own eyes the woe, the wail 
Of sorrow that demands of thrones and kings 
Unthinking, what such devastation brings, 
As in the ages past that lift afar 
Their bloody banner o'er the fields of war. 

Here is the letter sealed with the king's seal. 

KING ;egeus' message 

" To Minos, King of Crete, the war's demand 
In toll of lives. The ship by Theseus manned 
Is on its way, clad in the garb of woe, 
To fill the precept of the long ago, — 
' Seven men and maidens of the nobles bom ! ' 
My only son, Prince Theseus, — anguish torn, — 
Should he not slay the monster, haply then 
Shall die beside the pale of maids and men ; 



Cfie @)eal of ^ella$ 



He goes with hope elate their doom to save, 
Or else to find in Cretan land a grave." 

Ariadne 
And doth he come so soon? father mine, 
Our simple tastes plebeian may not shine 
With royal lustre, yet his mind, so tense 
With others' pain, may find its recompense 
In his own noble deed. O father, pray 
That he may never give that life away; 
'Twould seem, then, not by battles bravely won. 
But by thine own demand, the cruel deed were 

done. 

King Minos 
Be comforted, my daughter, here is more, — 
Something, the while, I had not read before. 

^reads^ 
" He loves thy daughter. Should this wound 

be healed 
And this strange war's demand be soon re- 
pealed 
Which ceaseth not with battles lost or won, 
Then might thy daughter wed my only son ! " 

Thy vivid blush, my Ariadne, tells 

The story of your love. 'Tis no surprise.? 

Ariadne 
Nay, father, I had read the secret, fain 
To find it true, but doubtful of my worth. 



8 Cfte ©eal of J^ella^ 

And doubtful more of thy consent, my liege, 
In this strange circumstance of warring lands, 
And of that dreadful league that costs the lives 
Of men and maids all innocent of wrong. 

King Minos 
My gratitude to thee that, ere the plea 
From alien land came to our royal ken, 
For thy brave pleading I had given the seal 
That bound me to my vow. Oh, keep it safe 
And treasure it through all the years of life. 
Theseus will slay the monster, never fear; 
E'en should it prove to be the incarnate fiend 
Who makes war possible in sister lands. 
His bravery will conquer in the end. 

Make haste then, Ariadne, to refer 

All household matters to their proper sphere. 

Tell Phasdra and all the men and maids 

The golden chariot must be released. 

Kept but for kings and worthy conquerors. 

And royal welcome given. A glorious feast 

At which the doubting hearts, — the double 

seven 
Who waited, sad, till now for doom of death, — 
Shall all partake, and never weep again. 

Answer, my Ariadne. This thy wish.^^ 

If not, speak now. To thee I gave the ring, 



Cfie ©eal of ^ellag 9 

And to no other. Thine to claim this day 
All that a father's love can do to heal 
The hurt that marred thy childhood, — all un- 
known 
To me, unthinking and unheeding in the past, — 
But never, never more, my sweetest child. 
For thou hast filled my heart with tender- 
ness 
For all things human, and my greater age 
With force of purpose. So say now the word : 
Shall pomp be master — such as in our way 
We may be able to display .^^ Or shall it be 
In keeping with the deep thought of the 

hour, — 
Subdued and grave, but earnest as the time? 

Ariadne 
I think the latter way by far the best 
Until the populace can follow on 
In thought the long procession, for the dirge 
That sent its strange, sad tones across the lea 
Has scarce ceased sounding. Then, when day 

is done 
Our prince shall scale the rocky barrier and de- 
scend. 
While I wait in the tower the whole night 

through ; 
And then, when morning beams and he returns 
In panoply of glory, then the pomp and glee. 



10 Cl)e @eal of J^ellag 

And then the chariots of gold for all will be 
Of one glad mind on ocean as on sea. 

King Minos 
Even so, my daughter, all shall surely be 
To thy desire and mine, — a royal line. 
By this same hour to-morrow's pageantry 
Shall make good showing which the world may 

see, — 
Our unused chariots and our martial hosts ; 
Each man of Crete must be beside his post 
And give most signal honors to the son 
Of our old enemy, by Ariadne won ! 

But list, my daughter? There are foes to face 
In our own households ; let not Phaedra hear 
Whilst thou art sought by princes who give 

heed 
To thy rare charms and to thy wondrous deed. 



€^bt ©eal of ^tlla^ ii 



THE MEETING 

Two serving women of the household of King 
Minos of Crete, — Zara and Vera, companions 
of the princesses, — are watching from the gate 
of the palace in the early morning. 

Zara 

A ship sails into the bay, 

Its dark sails streaming free, 

And the sad-eyed crew are listlessly 

Awaiting the coming day. 

There; shade your eyes and see 

The twofold mystery, — 

How with eyes averted and faces wan 
They are battling that Cretan sea. 

Hand seems to be clasping hand. 

And their moans sound over the lea. 
But I saw a nobleman suddenly 

Leap up and take command. 

Vera 

'Tis the brave Athenian prince, they say, 
Who vowed if Heaven gave him life and breath, 
He would sail away on the ship of death, 

Or the hated monster slay. 



12 Cfte @eal of J^ellas 

Zara 
Yes, Princess Phaedra has told me all, 

But she thinks it just and right, 
For the law is the law, and the tribute paid 

Is the law in Zeus' sight. 

But she said with a frown she would never go 
To the tower with the shouting throng; 

She could see them later climb the hill 
With cymbal and march and song. 

Vera 
But he shall be our deliverer 

Who comes to our nation's aid 
('Tis said by those who cannot err 

That he loves our gentle maid). 

My beautiful Ariadne wept 

When the ship with the black sails came ; 
But I calmed and soothed her ere she slept 

By breathing low a name. 

Then she said to me in broken voice. 

And a quiver in every nerve, 
" There is one who has cast with them^ his choice 

And his nation he will serve. 

" And whatever the fate of that somber ship 
In the light of their coming dreads 

Not a soul of them all by spur or whip 
To the Minotaur shall he fed.'* 



Cfte ©eal of J^ella^ is 

But here is my lady with cheek of rose, 

And a smile of love's delight; 
She will meet her warrior ere he goes 

Forth into the realms of night. 

Ariadne to Theseus after their first greeting 
at the landing, where she has hastened with her 
two maids to meet him before the royal honors 
are likely to he in progress. Zara and Vera 
have stepped aside, yet are interested in their 
calm meeting, 

Ariadne 
Greetings, my noble lord ! 
Prince Theseus, the adored 
By all the heroes and all the gods 
Who watch the devious way 
Of mortals when passions play : 
My father is waiting to say 
The glad word of welcome to-day. 

The law's demand has to be complied with. 
Theseus will go to the Labyrinth in the dead of 
night. The populace begvn to clamor and to 
take note of the prince on the crowded way to 
the palace of King Minos. 

Populace 
Ah, there he comes ! Her king in all but 
name, — 



14 Ci)e @eal of fellas 

Her Theseus brave. A manly flush of pride 
Doth greet his princess and his promised bride. 
The watching waiting^naids, their cheeks aflame, 
See romance in the winds, and breathe the name 
Beneath their breath. See, closely to his side 
Brave Theseus holds her, — her, his winsome 

guide 
To that great darksome cave of deadly fame. 
O'er the black ship the wave of hope runs high. 
For doth not their deliverer come nigh? 
Although as yet the mandate is not known. 
Save that the king's son may his strength ex- 
pend 
Upon the Thing that snatches friend from 

friend ; 
And if he conquers, then the happy end. 

Make way for Princess Ariadne, peers 
And lovers all, for hours are almost years. 
If day should pass into the caves of night, 
And naught accomplished in that strenuous 

fight. 
Why the dark ship might still have to be clad 
In somberest garb, its waiting people sad. 
Its music somber, still, — a dirge of woe 
By Memnon uttered in pain's overflow. 
Now she must have more speech with him alone 
To guide his wavering steps o'er paths of stone. 
The ring, the ring! with silken wristlet strong. 
To bring him back to us, not over long. 



Cfte @eal of J^ella^ 15 

From out the damp and dank of Pluto's throne 
With added pomp and glory round him thrown. 

Some of the passengers of the doomed ship 
pass with Mm across the bridge, which might, 
indeed, be the bridge of despair except for the 
hope of Theseus* prowess, which has been so 
signally blessed to his country on other occa- 
sions. Did they know of Ariadne* s plea with her 
father, they would see even more cau^e for hope. 

When it becomes known that Theseus is 
about to descend the slope that leads to the 
structure built by Dcedalus, very many of the 
servants and dependents of the palace and 
their friends are found waiting to go as far as 
possible along with them; but it is understood 
that the warrior Theseus, clad in his coat of 
Tnail, with his weapons, is the only one who can 
enter the cave except that Ariadne, his promised 
bride, may remaim in the high tower and be the 
first one to greet him when the rays of the 
morning sun appear above the horizon. The 
little procession seems to have been joined by 
some of the Muses, daughters of song. The 
strains of their melody echo among the evening 
hills. 

SONG 
Chanted on the way to the tower, the voices 
having been changed by hope from the strains 



16 CJ)e ©eal of ^ellag 

of a dirge to a plaintive melody. Mingled with 
the melody may he heard a plea in the words of 
the song that Prince Theseus shall not place him- 
self in danger^ — shall not go out in the night. 
Their lives depend on his great prowess, hut 
they heg him to wait for the light of day hefore 
he penetrates the labyrinth. They are aston- 
ished to hear heavenly voices joining them, as if 
the god Dionysus led them on in the great effort 
to right a national wrong. 

Oh, not in the darkness, 

Not in the gloom, — 
The night's mystic terrors 

Might lead to thy doom. 

Oh, wait for the morning. 

Wait for the day 
The dark pile adorning ; 

Then hasten away. 

'Tis Hades' endeavor 

Thy credence to gain, 
All earth ties to sever 

In bloodshed and pain. 

The choirs of the angels 
Have joined in the plan 

For the glory of nations. 
The honor of man. 



Cfte Seal of J^ella^ 17 



ARIADNE AND THESEUS AT THE 
LABYRINTH 

Ariadne sings while waiting alone in the tower 
of the labyrinth for the return of Theseus. 

SONG 

O heart, no longer alone, 

The night has luminous grown ; 

But not with the flash of the sun 
On those walls of stone. 

But the beat of a pulse and a rojal ring. 

The ring is the crimson seal. 
And it means a vow's repeal. 

Where the vow meant the toll of lives 
That hearts must feel 

With bitter and deadliest sting. 

Through the ring a silken thread 
Woven with fear and dread 

Lest its strength might be, ah me ! 
But that of a cobweb spread 

Over the perilous way. 

On my wrist the silken band, 

Held by many a strand ; 

A twin-strand held by his strong right hand 



18 Ci)e S)eal of r^ellas 

Shall lead to the midnight land, 
And back again to the day. 

And what though the goal he seeks 
To the soul of the woman speaks ; 
Though he slay, or not, the creature that terri- 
bly reeks 
Of the blood of the martyred band, 

Yet the vow will no longer hold ; 
The tale of the years is told, 
And banished by strong desire of Crete and 
Athenian wold, 
Never, never to menace again. 

Oh, the night has been long and drear. 
But the gleams of the morn appear. 

And the path so bright — 

From that radiant, upper height 

Is peopled with forms of light. 

I know he is safe, my brave. 
As he springs over wall and cave. 
For the silken circlet bent, and its dangerous 
signal gave 
In a fiercer shock and strain. 

One strand will my Theseus bring 
His weapon still quivering 

With the force he welded to grapple the cursed 
Thing 
That has held our meed of pain. 



Cfte §)eal of J^ellag 19 

The dark ship waits in the bay 
While its trembling victims pray, 
And wait with anguished hearts for the coming 
day 
And for sunlight to leap o'er the plain. 

The ring with its strange, dark seal, 

Besought for my nation's weal. 

Might bid them see how the heart of a king 

might feel 
In his old-time vow's repeal. 

Ah, I can hear him now from afar ! 

He has slain the Minotaur ! 

Has he seen at a glance this blood-red scar? 

Yes ; and has peldged his faith to me 

Once more, for my constancy. 

The guards of the palace rave 
For Theseus the brave ; 

The black ship empties its cargo of souls over 
shore and wave. 
And shout in their ecstasy : 

" King Minos has made us free ; 

To him we will bend the knee. 

One trumpet blast for the Prince of Chivalry 

And one for his bride to be ! " 



20 Cfte %ml of l^ella0 



ARIADNE'S RETURN FROM THE 
LABYRINTH 

Ariadne 

My father and my king, hail and farewell ! 
Theseus returns, and all the populace 
Are wild with clamor. All the open space 
Before the palace gates with plaudits swell. 
They saw my wounded arm and wished it well. 
And this same ring that held the cord in place, 
Encircled wrist and sped him in his race, 
Cut hard into the flesh with every blow that fell 
Upon the foes which in that darkness dwell. 
Make haste the nuptials ; call the maids and men 
From the sad ship, and bid them smile again. 
My Theseus has paid the tolls of war ; 
Has trod the wine-press, but without a groan. 
Thy daughter stood the whole night through 

alone. 
And knew when he had slain the Minotaur. 

The pledge thou gavest me, my sovereign king, 
Has been my guerdon. See the silken thread.? 
How in my lonely vigil I could dread 
The moment that his javelin should fling 
Each quickening strain lest evil should bestead. 
How well I gauged it, lengthening ells on ells, 



Clje ^eal of l^ellas 21 

E'en to the chasm where the monster dwells, 
While every strain that tore the flesh apart 
Sent its swift message to my quivering heart. 
Now I must have some speech with him alone 
Who comes, a conqueror, to thy worthy throne, 
And he a lordly king's son deified, 
Myself his servant, yet his promised bride. 
My flesh is scarred by the all-quickening cord, 
But what care I so that it saved my lord ! 

What aileth Phaedra, father.? She withstood 
The plaudits for the brave and worshipful. 
And kept her chamber. Is she weak or ill.-^ 
You say she would not like to see me wed.? 
Then think you she would rather see me dead.? 
For as the sun shines and the rivers flow. 
When that fleet sails, thy child shall with them 
go. 



22 Cfte Seal of fellas 



ARIADNE'S DEPARTURE 

The two maids, weeping, follow her to the 
vesseVs side and stand as far out on the shore 
as possible to get the last glimpse of the prin- 
cess. Their voices, chanting, mingle with the 
waves, 

O my sweet princess, stay ! 

Go not alone ! 
Let us upon thy bridal day 
Send wishes one and two and three 
That thou a happy bride may be, 

Upon thy throne. 

Phcedra does not appear among the others^ 
yet it seems to he known to some that she is 
watching the departure of the vessel from an- 
other poimt. The strains of a beautiful, weird 
melody come floating on the evening air, min- 
gled with the sound of the waves and melodies 
in the air that are from more than human voices. 

SONG 

Prince Theseus came our land to save, — 

Our Hellas hills. 

Its streams and rills. 
Free from the horrid curse of war, 



Cfje Seal of J^ena0 23 

Of monster and of Minotaur, 
And of misfortune's cruel scar. 

O Hellas land, 

Our Hellas land. 
Our gladsome song floats o'er the wave. 

The chance to live our lives ; to save 

Our Hellas hills 

Where beauty fills 
The spaces that Heaven's wisdom gave. 
He bade the airs of gladness lave 
The statue and the temple nave. 

Our Hellas land, 

Our beauteous land ! 
He found a bride and not a grave. 

The air was filled from sea to sea, 

O Hellas land. 

Our beauteous land. 
With Memnon's sacred minstrelsy; 
The daughters of Mnemosyne 
On floating wing came down to sing 
The strains of worthy chivalry. 

O Hellas hills, 

Our streams and rills! 
God bless the beauteous bride-to-be. 



24 Cfte §)eal of J^ellag 



ARIADNEi AND THESEUS 

On sailvng away from Crete. 

Ariadne 
Stand close, my Theseus. Let the concourse 

see 
Our mutual love, as, passing from their ken, 
We take our rapid way, unknowing when 
The shores of Crete again our goal shall be. 
Oh, there my father! High o'er all the rest, 
The robes of office falling o'er his breast; 
To my sad eyes that crown of soft white hair 
In pathos speaks. His thoughts I cannot 

share. 

Were we too hasty? Doth his spirit know 

How much I missed his blessing, and the flow 

Of gladsome cheer, of wedding bells, and all 

The joyous episode of bridal hall? 

But in Athena's court, or soon or late. 

The glad occasion she will celebrate 

With mirth and dance and with Mnemosyne's 

song 
In very truth, nor wait we over long. 

Ariadne remembers that King Mgeus had 
asked to have the sails changed to white if they 
were victorious. 



Cfte g)eal of J^ella0 25 

Ariadne 
O Theseus, are thy sailors well in hand? 
All those black pennons spread and flowing free 
Were to be changed to white of victory 
So that the king, your sire, might take his stand 
On some fair height Olympian ere you land ; 
And long before a carrier bird could flee, 
He might rejoice the pennant white to see. 

Theseus 

[frowning^ 
Let not my Cretan maiden seem to own 
Both me and mine ! My father would bespeak 
We come without display. The king will own 
Our prowess earned when high from tower and 

mast 
He sees the pennant flying in the blast. 

We'll tell the story to his listening ear 
Of Minotaur and labyrinth and ring. 
That safe and scatheless we were led to bring 
Dear honor to both kingdoms, and to hear 
The people's plaudits in the court that day 
When midst the crowd we two were led away. 

Ariadne 
And did thy " Cretan maid " do naught at all.^ 
What boots it that thy warrior blood should 

call 
On Heaven to witness deeds that so appall.? 



26 Cfte Seal of l^ellag 

The loins of earth are filled with man and beast 
That thirst for blood. 'Tis Hades' feast — 
Red blood of victims. I could love the heart 
Deep knit with tenderness, its nobler part. 
But honors should be shared, to say the least, 
Before the hidden helper feels the smart. 

Theseus 
Yes, yes, sweet Ariadne; I must say 
Thy part was well accomplished in the fray, 
And thou wert blessed in making no demur 
At our bright hour of triumph, nor defer 
The hour of sailing by such foolish fears 
As might have held a menial till he hears 
Some incantation of the waiting priest 
Before the gods will countenance the feast. 
So cheer and cheer again. The ship makes way. 
So lift the wounded arm and I will say 
All that the bard could wish of roundelay. 
Oh, ne'er can I forget that bright red scar 
That bears the mark of that heroic war ; 
If age on age should pass, it would be told, — 
Had not the silken thread the strength be- 
stowed. 
Brave Theseus ne'er had slain the Minotaur ! 

Ariadne 
With these fond words we hide ambitious hopes 
In sweet content ; then let us idly stand. 
Hand clasped in hand, and watch Athenian land 



C{)e ©eal of Bellas 27 

Sail into view, and all the templed slopes ; 
There towers Athena's statue, hid by our ropes 
That hold the crisscross rigging, where it 

stands ! 
Out flows our pennon now as if the good 
Of all the centuries had understood 

And blossomed out as the new freedom ope's. 

But, lo, a stately figure stands alone 

Upon a height Parnassian, with eye 

Looking far outward that he may descry 

What may be signs of loss or victory. 

Oh, can it be ^geus, fain to see 

The snow white signals spread and shoreward 

blown ? 
But black as midnight ! Ah the tragedy 
This memory's lapse, long ages must atone; 
He needs must think his son among the slain. 
O Theseus, why were not my warnings ta'en? 

Theseus 
[strangely heedless'] 
It is the king, my father. He will be 
The very first to greet my bride and me. 

Suddenly speech is made impossible, for they 
catch sight of the king leaning over the bank of 
the great chasm. He totters, yet seems to mock 
at danger. Ariadne swoons and knows no 
more until in the palace hall King jiEgeus lies 



28 Cfte ©eat of ^ellasi 

i/n state, a vanquished thing , and shouts are 
heard, " The king is dead. Long live the king/* 
Ariadne shrinks from them all. At once the 
people throng to the palace, — friends and sol- 
diers of the dead king come to do him honor 
and to welcome their great prince, Theseus, 
now king, standing erect in the midst of the 
royal court. 

Ariadne 
While like a very god King Theseus stands se- 
rene, 
Yet have they not called Ariadne " Queen " ! 



Cfie @)eal of ^ellag 29 



ARIADNE AND THESEUS AT ATHENS 

Ariadne 

Be patient with me, Theseus, till the mood 
Shall pass like sunshine o'er the summer plain 
And I shall be thy loyal bride again, 
No single strain to blight our mutual good. 
Both brave and wise, my scruples understood, 
Thou sayst, " Nostalgia," but to me it seems 
The outcome of those realistic dreams, — 
The horror visualized, that rock endued 
With all the Erynnes by fate subdued. 
Thy father's face, my Theseus, when it lay 
Upon the royal pillow, gaunt and wan. 
From its earth home the conscious spirit gone. 
Its grave, white profile in the marbled clay, — 
Whene'er in palace hall or when alone 
'Tis not his features, but my father's own ! 

To my dim thought it changes day by day ; 

I see his brow thought-lined, his locks of 

grey,— 
Each feature of my father sadder grown. 
As if the fates that took his eldest born. 
And then his youngest, seemed in evil league 
To rob him of his all by some intrigue. 



30 Cfie Seal of l^ellag 

So, Theseus, my one desire shall be to see 

Our sail swift speeding over Cretan sea. 

This lordly Athens with its schools of thought. 

Its palaces and statues, lofty domes, — 

All but another name for martyrdom. 

I could have loved Athena were't not shown 

I was but handmaid queen, without a throne 

Except the throne of Mind. 'Tis but a foreign 

zone 
To such as know it not. Thou mightst have 

sought 
To lead me to my peers, but did it not ! 

My Cretan home was plain but love bedight. 
The very flowers along my garden free, 
So fain to show me all their summer glee, 
Did naught but minister to my delight ; 
One slender vine crept upward in the night, 
And sought my chamber, strangely found a way 
To gain a crevice, and what would one say ; 
It sent a tendril searching for the light. 
It seemed to be the mind within the vine 
That sought and sought until it found a spot, 
A little wooden pin to hold and twine 
In sweet contentment with such happy lot. 
And thus it grew in beauty, lovely, rare. 
Each tendril strengthened by such human care. 

So let us just once more speed swiftly o'er 
That Cretan sea, and when I once can gain 



Cfie Seal of fellas 3i 

A father's blessing, I shall speed full fain 
Back to thine arms, never to leave thee more. 
Thou sayst by way of Naxos ? Well, agreed. 
There good god Pan will love the sens ate vine, 
And Bacchus with his helpers brave agree 
To twine thy frowning brow with eglantine. 
And bring my fervent lover back to me 
In all the beauty of his charm divine. 
Without disturbing thought of thine or mine ! 



BOOK THE SECOND 



VENUS, BACCHUS AND ARIADNE 
IN NAXOS 

Venus 
Thou art the sovereign god of this dear isle, 
O friend, forever patient, ever true. 
Holding me ever blameless even when through 
Some nature weakness I forget the while 
The honor due a god. No mortal guile 
Immortal nature hampers. Lips may woo, 
Like Dionysus chaste, while Bacchus drew 
The wine of life to dregs with raptured smile. 
Now I've a secret plan, my sovereign liege. 
And wish a god to j oin me. 'Tis for weal 
And not for woe, unless the stupid heel 
Of black misfortune crush, and both besiege. 
Hear you not Echo.'' We will heed the cries 
That mock the bank where Ariadne lies. 

Yes, beauteous Ariadne, Athen's queen, — 

Or would be if false Phaedra had not crept. 

Like slimy snake, when woman's wisdom slept, 

And left the way with false Erynnes strewn. 

Although King Minos not averse had been 

To this new son who Hellas' honor kept. 

False Phaedra saw two thrones in view, and wept 
35 



36 Cfte ©eal of l^ellag 

On Minos' breast. He yielded. Moments 

swiftly sped; 
They let the angel Ariadne go unwed, 
With promise of the morrow intersped. 
Her wretched plight has brought me hastening 

here, 
And yet a god's indulgence bids me fear 
To do this favor, thus your praise to gain 
And hers, when she has held her meed of pain. 

Bacchus 
A gentle dove, rain-drenched and torn by life's 
perplexities. 

Venus 
Demanding nothing and receiving less. 

Bacchus 
Yet Hellas she has saved from ignomin^^ 
And Theseus from defeat, by hidden powers. 

Venus 
I found on the beach a fold of papyrus. Please 
read the few words. It might throw light on 
this mystery. 

Bacchus 

It seems to be signed, " Theseus, King." That 
is enough. Let it go to the Theseum and be 
buried with him. 



Cl)e ®eal of ^ella0 37 

Venus 
He will marry Phaedra. She will match her 
steel against his thunderbolts. 

Bacchus 
And both gods and mortals suffer in conse- 
quence. 

Venus 
Theseus thought Minerva met him in the way 
and gave him warning. 

Bacchus 
Only his excuse to his own conscience. 

Venus 
We both know that Minerva, or, better, our 
own Athena, is ever above deceit. 

Bacchus 
And we know, too. Aphrodite, that the warrior 
soul has sometimes to be driven into the depths 
before he can comprehend life. 

Venus 
She wakes ! She wakes ! Pray, Bacchus, dis- 
appear 
Till Eros calls from sleep, then come again. 
Come not a moment sooner. I must stay 
Upon the shore, and with her spend the night 
And try to soothe her grief. When morning 
comes, 



38 Cl)e Seal of ^ella^ 

Return, but keep thyself in shadow 'neath the 

palms. 
She starts ; she sighs ; she speaks ; and Echo 

mocks. 
Bid Echo cease her clamor; 'tis poor time 
To shout Narcissean woe. Make haste and go I 



Aeiadne 
\_a'waMng'] 
Where are my sailors? Where? 

Echo 
Where? 

Ariadne 
King Theseus gone? 

Echo 
Gone ! 

Ariadne 
To return no more? 

Echo 
No more ! 

Ariadne 

Am I alone between mountain and sea? 

Echo 
Mountain and sea. 

Ariadne 
Alone ? 



Cfie Seal ot J^ella^ 39 

Echo 
Alone ! 



Venus 
Nay, not alone, sweet maid, for I shall stay 
with thee. 

Ariadne 
Thou art beautiful. A light of kindness in 

thine eyes. 
I know thee not, yet would wish to know thee. 

Venus 
I am Venus to the world, but to Ariadne I am 
Dione. That was my mother's name, but the 
poets of Hellas have given me that name. 

Ariadne 
I love thee, Dione. 

Dione 
Come with me to the gardens of the vines, and 
rest. 

Ariadne 
Thou art a goddess. How can one who does 
not know mortal pain, comprehend the meaning 
of pain? 

Dione 
By the ministry of love. 



40 C|)e @)eal of ^ella0 

Ariadne 
Then it is this which has calmed me. 

DiONE 

I will soothe thee in mine arms until sleep 
touches thine eyelids. 

Ariadne 
But, alas ! only to wake again to sorrow. 

DiONE 

I will give thee an immortal lover. 

Ariadne 
Speak not to me of love. 

Dione 
I know all, and I know that the gods love thee 
for thy sweet humanity, and that they have 
thee in their keeping. 

In the very earliest morning , while the dew is 
still on the flowers , Venus makes herself invisi- 
ble to the resting Ariadne, first, however, plac- 
ing luscious tropical fruits where they will at- 
tract her eye and her palate; then summoning 
the nymph Thalia to watch over Ariadne until 
she awakes, she sends Eros as her messenger to 
the vine embowered gardens of Bacchus (Diony- 
sus), but he has anticipated her and is already 
on his way to the portion of the island which in 



Cfie ©eal of i^ella^ 4i 

his dreams he has never left since having seen 
the beautiful sleeping Ariadne the evening he- 
fore. As the two friends, Venus and Bacchus, 
come near, both step into the shadow, for Ari- 
adne is leaning upon a rock that looks towards 
her Cretan home. But what is that tone of ex- 
quisite music of measured xvords that mingles 
with wave and zephyr, and comes floating up 
to their ears in harmonious strains of deepest 
feelvngf Ariadne sings or chants in sad mono- 
tone: 

THE OCEAN 
O soul of mine, this drear immensity ! 
Such surge and swell of wave against the shore 
In majesty of motion, leaping o'er 
The billowy barriers far as eye can see. 
Then the horizon's edge, where sky and sea, 
Commingling, seek that undulating floor, 
With glint of glacier struck from arctic store. 
And far white sail like wing of destiny. 

That distant bird which floats 'twixt wave and 

dune 
Knows naught of fear, nor yet the sea's behest, 
But circles, soars, and dips to ocean's rune; 
I, humanly, would seek some sheltering breast 
To this strange longing of the sea immune. 
Lest lured by Triton spell beneath the crest. 



42 CJ)e ©eal of ^ellag 

Venus and Bacchus wait in the background, 
Bacchus 
The power of her language thrills mj soul. 

Venus 
And its tenderness. 

Bacchus 
And her exceeding beauty. 

Venus 
Her grief is not for the loss of a throne. 

Bacchus 
Theseus should have said to his Athenians, 
" Here is your queen! " 

Venus 
They would have followed like sheep their 
leader. 

Bacchus 
Those words of hers to the ocean have the very 
sound of the wave and the color of the seashell. 
Athena shall have them transcribed in letters 
of gold for the temple. 

Venus 
With a word from you, Athena will do this. 
She is the patroness of all arts. 

Bacchus 
Shall we make ourselves known.? 



Cl)e ©eal of ^ella0 43 

Venus 
By all means. 

Bacchus 
Please go before me, Aphrodite. She has 
grown familiar with you. 

Venus 
To her, then, you shall be Dionysus. That 
name represents your graver side. The name 
Bacchus is for the merrier side of the god Na- 
ture, and the one by which Venus knows you 
best. 

Bacchus 

my sweet Aphrodite, you are the most hu- 
manly natural goddess that the earth boasts. 
No wonder that you are loved by gods and men. 

1 can well see how Adonis has been permitted 
to come again in the season of flowers. 

Venus 
And yet your Aphrodite is as humanly imper- 
fect. Willing to win the apple that Discordia 
threw. 

Bacchus 
Meanwhile, Aphrodite, breathe into her soul the 
airs of Nepenthe, that she may forget the past. 
Should she, when the time is ripe, love me, she 
shall win the crown with the seven stars, and 
for my Venus herself, a gift from the sea, — the 



44 Cfte Seal of JJ)ella0 

emerald from thy birthplace. Give heed. She 
is coming back from the shore. 
Ariadne approaches. 



DiONE 

Dost thou miss thy companion, sweet maid? 
I will find thee an immortal lover. 

Ariadne 

Speak not to me of the love of man. Dost see 
this wounded arm.'' 

DiONE 

No sorrow of love's making ever kills but by 
love's breaking. This wound will heal itself. 

Ariadne 
My dear old father ! He may wonder why we 
linger at Naxos. 

Bacchus comes within the range of vision. 

Venus 
Here is the lord of the island, Dionysus, by 
some called Bacchus. He shall send the shal- 
lop of his thought to Crete and to thy father, 
saying, " All's well ! " 

Ariadne 
Can he do this? How grateful I am. 



C6e ©eal of i|)eUa0 45 

Dionysus 
And thy thought shall take wings with mine, 
fair maid, and thy sadness shall be no more. 

Ariadne 
And now the picture to my mind of my father 
will be as I left him, and not the dead face of 
^geus, which I saw ever before me. 

Dionysus 
Yes, the noble features of the grand King Minos 
of Crete. 

Ariadne 
This does my heart good. 

Dionysus 
Thou hast brought peace to other hearts. 
Through all Hellas they are celebrating the 
victory of right over wrong. 

Ariadne 
I am feeling strangely happy already, with a 
deeper peace than I have known. 

DiONE 

Shall we go with Dionj^sus, my Ariadne, to see 
his beautiful vines on the hillside, and all the 
nymphs and maidens helping to gather the 
fruit.? 

Ariadne 
Yes, and oh, the days must be so beautiful in 
Naxos ! 



46 Cfte Seal of fellas: 

DiONE 

We will hear the songs of the maidens, chanted 
while they gather the purple clusters of the 
vineyards, and be as glad as the day is long. 
Now I must give one word of admonition to my 
Lord Bacchus. Dionysus is grave and recep- 
tive, but when he has his other nature he is 
equally a study. Not a nymph of the lot but 
would lay down her life for him. 

Ariadne 
I cannot wonder at that. There seems to be an 
intoxication in such intimacy with nature. 



Cfte ©eal of J^ella0 47 

IN THE GARDEN OF THE VINE 

Venus 
\_to Bacchus~\ 
Now a god's devious ways pursue 
With little ostentation; 
Train all the clinging tendrils through 
Their strong supports. Both rust and rue 
Crush out, and then take time to woo 
A bride from Crete's fair nation. 

But take thy time. We'll comfort her, 
Each lonely hour beguiling; 
By witchery of song defer 
All pain upon the wing for her. 
But pain, love's best interpreter, 
May end at last in smiling. 

Ariadne greatly enjoys these delightful meet- 
ings in the grove of the garden of the vine. 
This time the daughters of Mnemosyne are 
present; they consider that no gathering of this 
kind is perfect unless it has something of dan- 
cing and song and recitation. On this special 
occasion it is graced hy Demeter, and Per- 
sephone y her beautiful daughter, restored to her 
arms from her mysterious home, hut joyous as 
the sunshine and entering into all the bright- 



48 Cfte Seal of IJ)elIas 

ness of the occasion. The god Pan is also 
there, hut more as a priest than a person, -for 
he it is who influences the minds of the poets of 
nature. 

Venus reminds Lord Bacchus that as she will 
he passing soon to the Athenian circles to meet 
there with the assembly of the gods, she wishes 
him to he willi/ng to read the words which were 
written on the fold of papyrus. They pass on 
to a retired portion of the garden, and there 
decipher it together. She reads it aloud in 
their retirement from the rest of the company. 

Venus 
[reads without comment~\ 

" THESEUS AT THE ISLAND OF NAXOS 

" She sleeps, she sleeps ; and on her brow 

The peace of heaven reposes. 
The saddened hours have left no trace ; 
She must be of Hellenic race, 
This Cretan maid of high born grace, — 

Her cheeks would shame the roses. 

" My Ariadne, couldst thou see 
My heart through all promotion, 

Thou wouldst be loth to think of me 

As one who felt the witchery 

Of other eyes than thine, — ah me ! 
She knew not my devotion. 



Cfte Seal of ^eliag 49 

" She saw Mnemosyne's nymphs at play 

To win my smiles of greeting; 
The king must sound the roundelay, 
Must give the prizes fair away, 
Must dance with sweet Terpsichore, 

The other damsels meeting. 

" She did not like the pomp and glare 

She met at every turning, — 
Athena's court and Clytie's stare. 
Nor yet the constant din and blare 
That met her there and everywhere 

Of warrior steeds returning. 

" vEgeus' death, a shock to nerves 

Already tired and bleeding, 
His haggard face in vision serves 
To wound her spirit's sweet reserves, 
To parallel in deeds and verves 

Her year of interceding. 

" And now she sleeps, the patient dove. 
So brave through every danger. 

As that dear wounded wrist may prove ; 

I'll kiss it now that scar above 

Where such harsh straining hurt my love, — 
And — then — an island ranger. 

" Oh, not the sea shall swallow me, 
Nor yet the state's demanding. 



50 Ci)e Seal of ^ella^ 

But just a little cruise and flee 
Athenian outposts once to see; 
Back here by daylight certainly, 
With all the force commanding. 

" Just one fond look, my Hebe sweet. 

So hidden, yet revealing. 
I'll kiss the little dimpled feet, 
And once those roseleaf breasts, my sweet, 
And those dear lips with love replete, — 

So ripe and so appealing. 

" And when the state has claimed my zeal. 

And given me honors knightly. 
My queen she'll be. My heart is leal. 
Then swift returning, prow and keel. 
Her chastened heart may gladly feel 

The king returns contritely. 

" And when, long ere all hopes are gone. 
When evening stars are burning. 

My Pirithous shall sail the sea 

On wing of friendship's chivalry. 

He'll not approve, but find will he 
My chastened bride returning. 

" The King." 

Bacchus 
She must not see it. She would be wounded to 

the quick. 
It sometimes seems that in each human soul 



C{)e Seal of |)ella0 51 

Made ripe for greatness, honored of his kind, 
There is an unknown country, — heaven and hell 
In closest contiguity. 'Tis the god within 
Points out the one, to the other bars the way. 

Venus 
He thought the lesson needful to subdue 
A wife who held opinions of her own ; 
But there is no reprieve in word or deed. 
Two natures built on different moulds may 

prove 
A menace to the household gods of love, 
Except for our mediation. We know all. 

Bacchus 
Yes, to our sorrow. No man is worthy of love 
Who has not much of woman's tenderness. 

Venus 

Not often sorrow, sometimes our jay and rec- 
ompense. 

He thought Minerva met him in the way 

And gave him warning. 

Bacchus 

It was his strange Nemesis that appeared. 

He thought it was Athena? 'Twas Phaedra's 
ghost. 

The shade of her false spirit barred the way, 

And tossed the black-robed ship on troubled 
waves 



52 Cfte %ml of ^ella0 

Of false opinion, hence the barrier 

To priest and temple rites. But Heaven be 

praised, 
And thee, Dione. The goddess dwells in thee, 
Sweet child of wave and foam and seashell 

cheek ; 
Thou bearest no env}^, e'en when in mortal mood 
Such charms as hers appeal with strong desire 
To make her all mine own without delay. 

Venus 
Nay, but a little space must intervene. 
No true soul, god or mortal, but must wait 
The love of morn when night has closed the 
gate. 

Bacchus 
True, true, my Aphrodite. This dear name 
Of early, homelike, fragrant woods and fields 
I love because it has a touch of sweet caress. 

Venus 
Like my one name for thee, my constant friend. 
With which thou dost allow me to relieve 
The ice of cold formality, — name that the 

nymphs forget, 
Or else the name that others never knew. 
Thou sayest well. No envy mars 
Our sweet companionship. Among the stars 
One breathes diviner odor. Passion's sway 
Is but for mortal needs, not thine or mine. 



Cfie ^eal of J^ellag 53 

I love thee, and shall call thee every name 

As each one suits thy nature, — Bacchus first, 

Then Dionysus, Brisseus, Friend ! 

Beautiful in thy fresh, immortal youth, fire- 
born. 

Then hid in Jove's right arm till born again ; 

Of super-mortal birth ; two natures blent in one. 

And both dew-crowned. 

'Tis I have promised thee 

To this sweet child, though yet she knows it 
not. 

Bacchus 
'Tis like thee, and to thy desires I yield. 
And to mine own, sweet Venus, named Dione 
In all the poetry of Hellas' clime. 

While they are talJdng in the garden Iris 
comes floating down on her rainbow path and 
joins them, 

THE BRIDGE OF IRIS 

Who made the messenger from heaven to earth, 
Sweet rainbow spirit in thy constancy. 
And with prismatic colors wondrously 
Didst weave thy pathway where the stars have 

birth? 
This shining way must be some bridge of worth ; 
'Tis not the sorrowing path of spirits free 



54 C|)e ^eal of J^ellas 

From mortal chains by wave of destiny, 
Where spectres, anguish-wrung, are hastening 

forth ; 
But 'tis the pathway of the rainbow queen, — 
Fair Iris, sailing in her silver boat. 
Where all about her crimson cloudlets float 
And fold her their encircling arms between ; 
See where her shallop sinks the sea beside 
Where eager Triton waits his promised bride ! 



C{)e ©eal of l^ella^ 55 



A LETTER 

Ariadne to her two friendly Dionysus and 
VenuSy enclosing a flower found in the field. 

" Oh, never doth the world hold day so dark, 
But that some gleam behind the clouds of fate 
Tells of a heaven beyond. O dear Dione, 
The name poetic that our Hellas gives 
To Goddess Venus when within their ken 
She comes swift sailing from the sunset clouds 
In her white chariot driven by beauteous doves, 
How didst thou wander to the shore that day. 
Dressed like the plainest mortal in disguise. 
And find me weeping, friendless and alone, 
Pouring my plaint on the unresponsive sea. 
And cold to thy beloved friend and thee 
Before the gracious influence of such warmth 
Could penetrate my being, so surcharged, 
So marred and outraged in its sensibilities. 
But he and thou together caused the heavens to 

ope. 
And in the glad young brightness of the world 
Forget the false estate of thrones and kings, 
And bid me welcome to this glorious isle. 



56 Cfte §)eal of ^tlla$ 

" In my walk with Thalia this morning I found 
this beautiful flower of the island, which was 
blooming alone and seeming to look down into 
the stream at its feet. It must be beloved of 
the god Pan. I send it by Thalia, root and 
blossom, for the garden of Dionysus. 

" Dear wayside flower 
That wears the rosy blush of morn, 
Like sunrise on the banks of snow. 
Or shell tint in its pearly glow 
Mid winter's sullen rigors born. 

" The fostering winds 

Erstwhile converted fleecy snows 
To broidered robes of dainty hue 
To view thy royal graces through. 

Deep in thy winter-bought repose. 

" Thou art our own, 
The pride of all our eastern zone. 

Whose lips have caught the sunset's flush. 
Whose petals match the maiden's blush 
When first her heart has found its own ! " 



Cfie ^eal of i^tlln^ 57 



ARIADNE AND VENUS 

Ariadne 
Oh, what a royal company, Dione, — Pan and 
Bacchus with their attendant nymphs. I seem 
to be among the immortals. 

Venus 
Ariadne herself is one. 

Ariadne 
1? —" The little Cretan maid? " 

Venus 
The Queen of Song. It is never wise with mor- 
tals to place a low valuation on one's power. 
The gods have different standards. Ariadne's 
plea with King Minos has been placed in letters 
of gold in the Temple. 

Ariadne 
The gods be praised that " the Cretan maid " 
has been justified in Athena's sight. 

Venus 
That, again, is the mortal's way of looking at 
things. You shall love Athena. She is far too 
upright to have sent any false message. Di- 



58 Cfte ^eal of ^ellag 

onysus will assure you of that. The god in us 
puts away all envy, all suspicion. 

Ariadne 
Hence it is the god-nature that we love. Was 
this what my Dione meant when she said, " I will 
bring thee an immortal lover " ^ 

Venus 
Yes. 

Ariadne 
But he loves you, Dione. 

Venus 
But not as mortal maid and lover, but as those 
who live above desire, and who bend a listening 
ear to the needs of mortals. 

Ariadne 
And do you think he may be with us before the 
shadows fall? Oh, I hope I was not rude when 
he spoke to us at the shore that day. 

Venus 
All variations of mood caused by the sensitive- 
ness of the spirit, the gods alone can understand 
and excuse. 

Ariadne 
My father Minos has the nature we so much ad- 
mire, — so strong, so gentle and true. And 
yet, Dione, I came away without his blessing. 



Cfte ©eal of J^ella^ 59 

Venus 
It has ever been your own. It has encircled 
you. 



60 Cfte §)eal of fellas; 



THE RETURN OF DIONE 

Just before sunset the nymphs run to meet 
Aphrodite, their hostess, who descends into their 
midst in her dove-drawn chariot. To Ariadne 
then she speaks aside. 

DiONE 

Come to the shore with me. 
And you, Thalia, watch the evening star. 
And when it flashes out mid sunset clouds. 
Then join us. But, Ariadne dear, I need thee 

now. 

Ariadne 
A goddess need a mortal? How surprising! 
And yet 'tis mutual. We mortals need the gods. 
But why this lustrous beauty? Every feature 

shines 
As if sun-kissed. 

DiONE 

Saw you not one within that chariot's space 
Which others could not see ? — Adonis fair ; 
Like sweet Persephone, he comes again 
To greet me in the season of the flowers. 
And thence away, but leaves an aureole. 



C6e Sseal of l^ellag 6i 

Ariadne 
I, too, have something that would please the 

friend 
Who found me stranded on the Naxion shore, 
Whence Echo from the illimitable deep 
Threw back her mocking answers. 

DiONE 

I know ! I know ! 

And how our friend from that eventful day 
Has loved thee. Thus my prophecies were true 
That an immortal lover should be thine. 

Ariadne 
And yet so human, too, so comprehending; 
No envy in the nature of a god. 
He honored my poor halting plea for Crete, 
Nor loved Prince Theseus less that he approved 
it. 

DiONE 

Oh, yes, the prince that did not let his javelin 
Crave human blood ! That was indeed magnan- 
imous. 
Quite as magnanimous as his escape 
From Naxos in his ships without his bride ! 

Ariadne 
Nay, cavil not. That act enfranchised me. 
Although he knew it not. And strangely, too. 
The warrior soul who rules by force of will, 



62 Cfte ©eal of l^ellag 

More brave than he who battles with the sword, 

Has won my strong allegiance. Pra}^, dear 
Dione, 

Pray tell me more and more of him ; your po- 
etic soul 

Can glorify each minor circumstance 

And vitalize it. 

Dione 

Ah, here Thalia comes. 

Go walk with her along the sea girt way 

While I report to the assembly. Ere long I 

shall return, 
And with me one whom you may love to see. 

Thalia^ with a smile of understanding , takes 
up the tale of Hellas^ its feuds and victories; 
hut one theme seems always paramount. 

Ariadne 
And what about Lord Bacchus, when the bands 
Of Nature-worshippers were scattered far and 

near 
On Hellas hills, disturbing the Athenian's re- 
pose ? 

Thalia 
Oh, that was not the midnight revelers, 
As some false chroniclers assert and hold. 
But an indignant asseveration of their right 



Cfte %tal of T^tilm 63 

To worship Nature in the way they chose, — 
If not the gem-starred heavens above their 

heads, 
Then earth flower-starred, and hills of purpling 

grapes 
Which yielded crimson health within their veins. 

'Twas Pentheus who so little understood 
Man's need of worship, — thrust their claims 

aside. 
Tore down the vineyards, threatening loss of life 
To their dear leader and his followers ; 
And like some other things where priests and 

kings 
Forbid the good for fear ill might usurp. 
Then ruthlessly destroyed both good and ill 
Without discrimination. 

Ariadne 
Oh, yes ; I see. 

It is one fault of thrones and dynasties 
That crucify the good for some imagined ill ; 
For Hades' realm beneath Olympia lies. 
Yet takes not from its grand sublimity, 
And yet they deem it sulphurous. 

Thalia 

So there was noise and tumult that their rites 
Were rudely interfered with, their temple 
razed, — 



64 Cfte ^eal of J^ella^ 

Their temple being but the vine-clad hill 
With its arboreal trees of poplars and of bays ; 
Lord Bacchus they would fain have taken pris- 
oner 
'Cept guarded by the loyal Bacchanals. 

Ariadne 
Ah, then the word is a misnomer quite, 
Which makes a Bacchanal supposed to be 
A refugee from Hades with the flames 
Still clinging to his person? 

Thama 

Yes ; they were battling for true liberty 
E'en in their worship, and for their leader's life ; 
And though excitement might have bred excess, 
It was not universal, just the overflow 
Of strong emotional experience. 

Ariadne 
I am so glad. 

It proves the truth of what you wisely said, — 
That Hades lies beneath Olympia, 
And yet Olympia should not be blamed 
Because she trembles when false natures war. 

Thalia 
The trembling is not for her own fair towers, 
Her massive pillars built for centuries. 
But with the fear that all the votaries 



Cfte Seal of ^eUa0 65 

Of sane delights in Nature's royal realm 
Might be withdrawn for lack of manly will 
In subjugation of the lower self. 

Ariadne 

Acetes then 

Made his most famous plea, and bravely said, 

" This leader is a god "? 

Thalia 

Yes, Pentheus saw 

That he must yield. Thus Nature-worship 

lived 
In Hellas land all through the hours and days 
Until the present ; but the leader soon 
Took sail for Naxos, Acetes with him there. 
But while the ship was hastening on its way, 
Some human fiends that should have found 

their way 
To Hades' realm thought tribute should be 

paid. 
And they would hold the ship until the money 

chest 
Was opened and its contents given to them. 

But, lo, the ship stood still, and in mid-ocean 

there 
Vines rich with grapes ran up the towering 

mast. 



66 Cfte S)eal of J^ella0 

And ivy twined around the idle oars, and, 

strange to say. 
First one and then another of the Hades' brood 
Were changed to dolphins. And Acetes ruled 
The ship ; then steered out from the dolphin 

shoal 
And sailed at once for Naxos. 

AuiADNE 

Oh, thanks, Thalia, 

For telling me of this in your sweet way. 
Now you will join us at the feast to-night, 
For he, the hero of these wondrous tales. 
In all his unseen armor will be there. 
And also our Dione, and Athene, 
And many nymphs and gods and goddesses 
Who love to meet with mortals and who give 
Some charm from their unseen celestial fields 
And broaden ours to meet and comprehend 
them. 



Cfte @eal of !^ella0 6T 



ARIADNE AMONG THE IMMORTALS 

As the time arrives for the special feasts to 
the god of the vine; and to Pan, the god of the 
flowers and groves; and to Pomona, the god- 
dess of the fruits, hoth gods and mortals have 
their seasons of rejoicing. Pallas Athena her- 
self graces some of these occasions, and as she 
is the promoter of all classic art, she finds al- 
ways a royal welcome. Apollo, Artemis, and 
their attendant concourse of people are often 
with them in the beautiful ripening gardens, 
Ariadne has never before seen such an assem- 
blage of happy people. The goddess Iris 
comes floating down on her rainbow path and 
finds that some one had a thought in her honor, 
also another thought about a little flower that 
Pan loves. It is the goddess Athena herself, 
who, calling attention to the twin flowers that 
have grown up side by side beneath one of the 
supports for the purpling grapes, has offered to 
be the reader. It is never their plan to call 
attention to the authors of their hymns or 
songs, for all are gifted with that warmth of 
appreciation which makes these occasions de- 
lightful. 



68 Ct)e ©eal of l^eUajs 

Athena reads or recites the poem that Pan 
loves, 

MONATROPA UNIFLORA 
I 
The witchery of the hills had cast its spell 
O'er pulse and spirit. Idly prone I lay, 
Absorbing sunshine. Mounds of new mown 

hay, 
With wealth of clover, mint, and asphodel, 
A purling stream whose silvery lips could tell 
How scythe of Damocles made haste to slay 
Lush growth and beautiful with purpose fell 
(No prescience of such fate in winsome May), 
To feed the maw of ox, for pelf to sell. 
Or bid it perish when the winter's spray 
Of diamond facets held their forceful sway. 
Locked in the frozen heart of grove and dell. 
Be mute, O soul ! Nor humanly rebel ; 
Life's mysteries in one petaled globe may dwell ! 

II 

Silent, subdued, but with a quickened sense 

Of nearness to great Nature in repose. 

My palms close pressed against the garnered 

rows 
That held sweet May's shorn bloom in evidence ; 
Close by my hand, beneath a moss grown fence 
One tree-root grassward crept. Lo, what were 

those.'' 



Cfte ^eal of J^ella^ 69 

Two milk white blossoms, pure as Alpine snows, 
Stood side by side with arms enclasped; and 

thence 
Artemis spake to Pan, " Love*s pro'vidence" 
On wind-swept surface where the raspberry 

grows, 
This marvellous life idyl ! Heart of rose, 
Snow-calyxed, lest it blush of bride disclose ; 
Low drooping head in eager, shy pretence. 
But thrilled and trembling in her love's sus- 
pense. 



70 Cl)e S)eal of ^ella0 



ARIADNE AND DIONE ON THE SHORE 

While near the shore they are attracted by a 
concourse of vessels. 

Ariadne 
What can it mean, Dione? Stay with me. 
There is something in the air of menace. 

Dione 
That can hardly be, for the commander is 
Pirithous. 

Ariadne 
How could any message come to me when long 
days have passed ; and yet it may surely be that 
King Theseus at last wishes to make reparation. 
I have no desire ever to go away from here. 

Dione 
Bless you for that. Meanwhile, go rest among 
the oaks, my love, and I'll give you a thought 
for your enjoyment about the Zeus of Dodona. 
The oracle for Dodona is in a grove of oaks. 
Instruments hate been invented to register the 
faintest sound of a whisper in the leaves. Zeus 
is indeed the god of the winds, as iEolus is 
only his mortal minister, but seems to have even 



Cfte Seal of J^ella0 71 

a god's understanding of them. Now go and 
rest there, and listen to the winds and the wa- 
ters. I, as the companion of the Princess Ari- 
adne, shall refuse you audience with any one 
who might make you think of the past with an- 
noyance. 

Your real home, Ariadne, is among the flowers 
and vines that have sprung up only for you. 
They would droop and die if you should leave 
them. 

Ariadne 
I should be the flower that would droop and 
die. Beautiful Naxos ! Beautiful life in Na- 
xos ! Poets and gods for companions ; such 
consideration for every mental and musical gift ! 



72 CJ)e @eal of l^ellag 



ARIADNE AND DIONYSUS 

While Ariadne is resting in the grove of oaks, 
Dionysus joins her, 

Ariadne 
I have been listening to the whispering of the 
leaves as if it were the oracle of Dodona. 

Dionysus 
Has it been telling you of your future? 

Ariadne 
No ; the present is too full of peace and happi- 
ness. I feel as if I were in the presence of the 
immortals. 

Dionysus 
Ariadne herself is one of them. Even in staid 
Athens she has been called '' Queen of Song," 
and some of her simple studies of form in sculp- 
ture are finding a place in the temple. 

Ariadne 
It is because her friends have helped to place 
them there. 

Dionysus 
Not altogether. It is from a certain quality of 



Cfte §)eal of J^ellais 73 

sadness or sympathy that impresses itself, — 
the sadness or wonder that one sees in the eyes 
of the faun, and sometimes in human beings, as 
if looking for his own place in the universe. 

Ariadne 
And yet always hoping to find it by always 
looking toward Olympus? 

Dionysus 
And they tell me that Master Pirithous is using 
his best endeavors to find you, but that Dione 
objects to the interview. 

Ariadne 
Probably the message he wishes to deliver is 
from the king. I care less for the message 
than for the equity. I never wish to think of 
one as noble as Prince Theseus leaving one alone 
on the dark shore asleep. I would not wish 
that fact to go into the annals of the time with- 
out some word of reparation for the deed. / 
shall see Pirithous. 

Dionysus 
My beautiful Ariadne, beautiful in spirit as 
well as in person ! If I may speak to you in the 
way of a mortal, I would say that I love you ; 
that in the way of a mortal, I am jealous of 
throne and king. 



74 Cfie §)eal of I^ella0 

Ariadne 
The day that in my sorrowing moments I saw 
the kindness in your eyes and heard you rebuke 
Echo, my love became yours ; and since then, 
day by day, it has deeper grown. 

Dionysus 
Then, my Ariadne, here is the crown with the 
seven stars. Let me crown thee queen, my 
queen ! 

Ariadne 
Let me be silent. Crown me not until the high 
priest has blessed us. Crown me not until I 
have seen Pirithous in my simple garb. My 
beloved ! I may call thee this name for thine 
own. 

Dionysus 
The dearest of all names, since my Ariadne has 
chosen it. 

Ariadne 
But the other still for every day, — or Bacchus, 
the friend of the god Pan, and the friend of 
Dione. 

Dionysus 
All sweet names from your lips. 

Ariadne 
And, beloved, I cannot see the king's messenger 
to-day. I must go down to the shore that 



Cfie ^eal of ^ella0 75 

looks towards Crete, and let the waves whisper 
my happiness to my father. 

Dionysus 
And some day, sweetest Ariadne, the prow of 
our ship will be towards the palace of King 
Minos. And then the crown of the seven stars ! 
He shall be told that at the end of long, long 
years it shall be a constellation in the heavens. 
This will give his aged heart pleasure. 

Ariadne 
I must see the gift, beloved, but not wear it 
until after the high priest's blessing, and I must 
tell Dione. But first, I must go to King Piri- 
thous in my simple garb, and must deal alone 
with this embassy from the king. 



76 Cfte ©eal of J^ella0 



ARIADNE'S ETERNAL FAREWELL 
TO THESEUS 

Ariadne meets Firithous, who brings a letter 
from King Theseus. 

Ariadne 
Hadst thou, O Pirithous, on that sad day 
When King ^geus from his precipice 
Fell prone into the sea, and all the throng 
Began to shout, " The King is dead ! 
The King is dead ! Long live the King ! " 
Thou, seeing all, hadst held my life in leash 
With fold on fold of tenderness, and said, 
" All hail, our Ariadne ! She is queen ! " 
And people might have loved her, Pirithous ! 

How thou didst love the man whose flocks and 

herds. 
When lawless thou didst take, he, Theseus, by 

force of arms 
Recovered; but so stalwart in his prime 
That looking on him thou didst love him well ; 
And when he asked thee for the penalty, 
"Thy friendship!" This alone thy loyal 

thought ; 



Cfte ^eal of ^ellag 77 

And there is that in him that doth respond. 
Or friendship could not live. 

I see the ships are anchored in the bay, 

And he has sent thee on this embassy. 

And with you letters which I will receive. 

And, yes, sometime may answer. These white 

sailed ships 
Are messengers of peace, and not of war, 
And like the schemes young nobles take to cheat 
Stern life of hard realities. Both sought He- 
lena fair. 
And both went down to Hades in a wild 
Chase for excitement, and for Persephone ; 
But calmed, subdued at last, came up from 

thence. 
Wiser and better men for the reproof 
Of stately Dis who both reproved and loved. 

But, Pirithous, 
My home is here. Too late, by far too late; 
Too long thy ships have dallied, as if the fate 
That kept the ships of Bacchus on the sea 
Till vines grew round the rigging and the fruit 
Had time to come to late maturity. 
Had kept his letter till it proved to be 
The flower of thy firm justice, not his own. 
Take, then, my answer, but he stUl his friend! 

" To Theseus King : 

" No, no ; forever no ! 



78 Cfte S)eal of ^ella0 

Thy pleading comes too late, too late ; 'tis vain, 
And Master Pirithous, thy messenger, 
Has the irrevocable, final word ! 

" O Theseus, when the god within the man 
By whom the man is dominate, and held 
To all high purposes, — when the god escapes 
And leaves him tenantless, the high heavens 
weep. 

" It was the god within thy human breast 
That sailed from Athens with the captive 

throng, — 
The seven and second seven, thyself being one, 
Self-ofFered in thy spirit's sweet humanity. 
And faced that dreadful doom, war's penalty. 
And thine the bravery, thine the danger call. 
To pierce within the hated labyrinth 
Where lay the wasted bones of seven times 

seven, 
And million dangers known to all who feel 
The joy of life, yet life's vicissitudes. 

" And, Theseus, was it not the god in me 
That drew the price of peace where others 

failed, — 
Brought back by pleading ; for aye annulled the 

vow 
Which neither king should ever have believed 



Cfte ©eal of l)tM$ 79 

To be a binding one when it imperilled life, 
Or many lives of those who did no wrong. 

" The ring that held the record of that vow 
With stern King Minos, held the silken thread 
Wrapped close about my wrist whose beating 

pulse 
Throbbed but for you that day to bring you 

back 
Unscathed and safe; which did its work 
As you did, in that dark and dreadful place, 
Receiving plaudits from the multitude, — 
And yet what word for me, your chosen one ! 

" Thou hadst two warring natures, Theseus 

King, 
And yet thy life, defrauded and bereft 
Of childhood's joys, explains to some degree 
The fluctuating purpose by excusing it. 
Some cause had left JEgeus weak of will 
In those unriper years, with cares of state. 
Else had he ne'er consented to this grievous 

thing. 
To tribute paid by blood, paid now no more ! 
Nor Minos, king of Crete, such penalty 
Had sought with sad persistence. 

" O my lost Theseus ! If the god in you and me 
Had then found speech and action, by Heaven's 
will 



80 Cfie ©eal of i^ellag 

Our burning words, passing from sea to sea, 

Had put a spine in Hellas ! Had refused 

To yield to those demands that young fair 

blood, 
Most fair and innocent, that did no wrong ; 
Nor Crete such tribute foul had ever sought. 

" Your young, strong valor won it back betimes, 
And should have kept it as thy sacred gift. 
Had not ambition seized and held, and then, oh, 

then. 
Your Ariadne won was Ariadne lost ! 

" ' Your Cretan maid,' forsooth, but not your 

queen ! 
So gave the dark Errynnes power and will 
To crush my soul in all its sweetest ruth. 
Whose very strength was in its tenderness. 
Ah, that lone night, 'twixt mountains and the 

sea! 
Yet blame I not for that, since thus myself I 

found, 

And Ariadne saved for evermore 
For Hellas and for Crete! " 



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